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A  DISSERTATION 


THE   FUCUS   EDULIS. 


AUGUSTUS  R.  GRIFFEN. 


AN  ESSAY/ 


BOTANICAL,  CHEMICAL,  AND  MEDICAL  PROPERTIES 


THE  FUCUS  EDULIS 


LINNiEUS. 


Submitted,  as  an  Inaugural  Dissertation,  to  the  public  examination  of  the  Trustees  and  Professors 
uf  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  in  the  University  of  the  State  of  New- 
York,  Samuel  Bard,  M.  D.  President,  for  the  Degree  op  Doctor 
OF  MEDICINE,  on  the  6th  day  of  May,  1816. 


BY  AUGUSTUS  R.  GRIFFEN, 
(of  hew-york,) 
Licentiate  in  Medicine  of  the  Medical  Society  of  New-York,  and  Member  of  the  American 
iHiCulapian  Society. 


NEW-YORK: 

PKINTLD  BY    VAN   WINKLE  AND  WILLY, 
No.  3  Wall- Street 

L816. 


A 


TO 

VALENTINE  MOTT,  M.  D. 

Professor  of  the  Principles  and  Operations  of  Surgery  in  the  University  of  the  State  of  Nat- 
York  ;  Fellow  of  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society  ;  President  of  the 
Physico-Medical  Society  of  New-York,  tec.  tfc- 

THIS 

INAUGURAL  ESSAY 

IS  MOST  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED, 


A   TRIBUTE  TO  PROFESSIONAL  EMINENCE,  AS  WELL  AS  TO  PRIVATE 

FRIENDSHIP  AND  UNWEARIED  PROFESSIONAL 

INSTRUCTION, 


HIS  SINCERE  FRIEND 

AND 

GRATEFUL  PUPIL, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


TO 

WILLIAM  J.  M'NEVEN,  M.  D. 

Professor  of  Chemistry  inthe  University  of  the  State  of  New-York ;  Fellow  of  the  Literary 
and  Philosophical  Society  of  New-York,  t\c.  tfC. 

Permit  me,  Sir,  to  prefix  your  name  to  this  Essay,  which 
embraces  a  subject,  the  principles  and  practice  of  which  you 
so  reputably  teach,  as  a  mark  of  the  many  obligations  under 
which  you  have  placed  me. 

With  sentiments  of  esteem, 

Believe  me  to  be 

Yours,  &c. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


DISSERTATION 


THE  FUCUS  EDULIS,  &c. 


The  genus  Fucus  belongs  to  the  order  Algae,  and  class 
Cryptogamia,  of  the  arrangement  of  Linneeus. 

The  word  Fucus*  is  derived  from  the  Latin  word 
Fucare,  to  dye  or  paint ;  some  of  the  seaweeds,  or  Fuci, 
being  used  for  this  purpose.  The  species  belonging  to 
this  genus  are  very  numerous,  amounting  to  some  hun- 
dreds. 

The  Fucus  Edulis  is  thus  described  in  the  Systema 
Naturae  of  Linnaeus  :  "  Caule  tereti  glabro,  ramoso  ramu- 
lis,  confcrtis  erectis,  apice  bifidus. 

This  plant  is  found  on  the  shores  of  Massachusetts,  and 
on  those  of  the  British  provinces,  in  North  America.  It 
is,  also,  an  inhabitant  of  the  waters  surrounding  Great 
Britain,  Ireland,  and  Scotland. f 

*  Vide  Miller's  Gardener's  Dictionary,  vol.  2. 

f  I  have  .mr;<;  been  informed,  upon  the  highest  authority,  that  this 

regetable  is  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  New -Haven. 

2 


10 

In  the  Nereis  Britannica,  of  Mr.  J.  Stackhouse,  it  is 
described  more  minutely. 

"  Frond  unbranched,  wedge  shaped,  and  succulent ; 
rounded  at  the  top. 

Hoot  flat,  membranaceous,  spreading;  throwing  up 
numerous  leaves. 

Stem  roundish,  short,  expanding  soon  into  a  frond. 
Frond  simple,  wedge  shaped,  and  rounded  at  the  top, 
many  from  a  common  base  of  different  sizes.  Fructifi- 
cation internal ;  a  chain  work  of  annular  tubes,  as  the 
pellucid  mucus  appears  under  high  magnifiers,  with  ex- 
ternal, invisible,  papillae. 

Seeds  very  minute. 

Mr.  Stackhouse  observes,  "  that  it  is  very  surprising 
that  this  species,  which  is  by  no  means  uncommon  on  the 
S.  W.  coast,  should  have  been  so  inaccurately,  if  at  all, 
described.  Its  specific  character  is  fully  sufficient  to 
discriminate  it.  A  reason  may  be  alleged  which,  in 
some  measure,  may  account  for  its  not  being  particularly 
noticed  hitherto,  viz.  its  being  very  rarely  cast  on  the 
shore  in  its  perfect  state.  Its  tender  succulent  texture 
exposes  it  to  the  danger  of  laceration  by  storms,  and  its 
nutritive  qualities  to  the  depredation  of  fishes.  When 
gathered  from  its  native  bed,  at  the  lowest  ebb  of  an 
equinoctial  tide,  which  I  have  frequently  done,  all  the 
longest  leaves,  and  many  of  the  smaller  ones,  are  found 
either  half  eaten  oft',  or  with  the  frond  perforated  in  num- 
berless places.  This  plant  affords  a  no  less  grateful  food 
to  cattle,  when  accessible  to  them  in  its  growing  state ; 
and  the  fisherman  either  chews  it  raw,  or  crisps  it  over 
the  fire.     To  supply  this  continued  consumption,  it  not 


11 

only  throws  up  at  first*  a  plentiful  crop  from  its  wide- 
spreading  base,  but  is  continually!  reproducing  its  leaves. 
The  most  surprising  quality  of  this  plant,  and  one  that 
will,  probably,  render  it  of  service  in  dying,  I  discovered 
by  accident.  Having  placed  some  of  the  leaves  to  mace- 
rate in  seawater,  in  order  to  procure  seeds  from  it,  I  per- 
ceived, on  the  second  day,  a  faint  ruby  tint  very  different 
from  the  colour  of  the  plant,  which  is  a  dull  red,  inclining 
to  chocolate  colour.  Being  surprised  at  this,  I  continued 
the  maceration,  and  the  tint  grew  more  vivid,  till  at  last  it 
equalled  the  strongest  infusion  of  cochineal.  This  liquid 
was  mucilaginous,  and  had  a  remarkable  quality  of  being 
of  a  changeable  colour,  as  it  appeared  a  bright  ruby  when 
held  to  the  light,  and  a  muddy  saffron  when  viewed  in 
the  contrary  direction. "J 

"  Little  need  be  added  to  the  specific  and  detailed  de- 
scriptions of  this  singular  plant.     It  is  sometimes  found 

*  "  I  have  counted  nearly  forty  leaves  from  a  single  disk."     * 

f  "  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  hint  at  the  surprising1  power  of  repro- 
duction, from  the  base  and  stems  in  some  species,  widely  differing- 
from  the  proliferous  tendency  at  the  edges,  which  many  of  the  larger 
kinds  of  Fuci,  such  as  the  F.  vesiculosus,  seratus,  &c,  possess." 

"  Tlic  inhabitants  of  Brittany,  I  am  informed,  cut  these  plants 
twice  in  the  year  for  manure,  and  the  crop  is  always  abundant. 
This  I  am  assured  of  from  a  French  clergyman  of  veracity." 

I  "  This,  probably,  arose  from  a  mixture  of  the  frond  in  the  liquor. 
J  endeavoured  to  ascertain  its  dying  powers  by  the  usual  methods, 
without  success,  as  the  rjuantity  of  tinging  matter  was  not  sufficient ; 
though,  if  attempted  at  large,  and  properly  evaporated,  it  might  be 
made  infficiently  sirong. 

"  1 1 '.-..*  ■,  i  r,  an  ingenious  chemical  friend  (the  Rev.  W.  Gregorj 
.  that  In;  baa  produced  a  fine  lake  from  an  infusion  of  a. 
i'\  ui<  aw  «.>:  alum." 


12 

nearly  a  foot  high,  and  the  larger  leaves  about  five  or  six 
inches  broad  at  the  top,  which  is  usually  rounded.  Its 
substance  is  tender  and  succulent,  of  the  thickness  of 
neat's  leather,  but  never  membranaceous  as  in  the  F.  Pal- 
matus ;  its  surface  shining  and  polished.  Under  the 
outer  coloured  skin,  a  pellucid  colourless  jelly  pervades 
the  whole  frond.  In  this,  undoubtedly,  is  the  fructifica- 
tion ;  with  a  favourable  opportunity  the  seeds  may  be 
seen  on  the  surface  of  the  frond,  with  high  magnifiers, 
either  in  clusters,  or  stretched  in  strait  lines,  and  crossing 
each  other ;  and,  at  this  stage  of  the  plant,  numerous 
minute  tubercles,  with  perforations  at  the  tips,  may  be 
seen,  as  in  the  F.  Palmatus  ;  but  this  happens  only  when 
it  is  advancing  to  a  state  of  decay,  or  when  it  has  lain  a 
few  hours  exposed  on  the  sand."*  Hab.  Menabilly, 
Fowey  ;  Actor  Castle  Penzance,  &c. 

In  Smith's  English  Botany,  vol.  19.  p.  1307.,  this  plant 

*  I  have  placed  the  F.  Dulcis  of  Gmelin  (t.  26.)  as  a  doubtful 
synonym  of  this  species,  from  its  remarkable  wedge  shaped  frond  ; 
and  it  seems  a  nearer  affinity  of  this  than  of  the  F.  Palmatus,  to 
which  it  has  generally  been  referred.  Though  the  synonyms  of 
Ray,  Morrison,  and  Hudson,  are  quoted  by  Gmelin,  it  is  said  to  have 
been  an  inhabitant  of  the  sea  of  Kamschatka.  In  addition  to  the 
mastication  of  this  and  the  preceding  species,  the  lovers  of  Lavor 
may  be  gratified  with  the  account  of  a  curious  mode  of  dressing  fish 
in  the  islands  of  the  Archipelago,  extracted  from  Prof.  Gmelin,  p, 
190.  "  They  take  slices  of  fish,  and  strew  them  with  crow  garlic, 
chopped  small ;  when  tender,  some  lard,  or  any  animal  fat,  is  added.; 
and,  lastly,  a  handful  or  more  of  this  F.  Dulcis,  called  by  themMarvei, 
is  put  on,  which  not  only  gives  a  more  beautiful  purple  tinge  to  the 
Ragout,  but  dissolves  and  thickens  the  sauce  so  much,  that  when 
cold,  the  jelly  is  strong  enough  to.  support  a  spoon,  or  other  thing, 
placed  in  it  in  a  perpendicular  direction." 


13 

is  very  accurately  described,  with  a  beautiful  coloured 
drawing.     He    states  that  it  is  found  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Dover,  Cornwall,  and  North  Wales  ;  he,  himself, 
had  collected  it  on  the  Leith  shore ;  but  it  is  less  frequent 
there  than  the  Palmatus,  which  last  (says  he)  we  can 
confidently  assert  to  be  the  species  most  commonly  eaten 
raw  at  Edinburgh,  however  preferable  that  now  before  us 
may  be  for  culinary  purposes,  on  account  of  its  more  fleshy 
texture  and  abundant  mucilage.     It  differs  from  the  pre- 
ceding,   in   being  thicker  and  more  coriaceous,  conse- 
sequently  of  a  darker  hue  when  held  against  the  light ; 
but  it  is  more  particularly  distinguished  by  its  obovate,  ob- 
tuse, undivided  form,  scarcely  cloven  or  lobed,  by  no  means 
palmate.     Old  specimens  are  very  often  large,  a  foot  or 
more  in  length,  and  several  inches  wide,  and  they  are 
generally  found  perforated,  or  eaten  away,  as  it  should 
seem,  by  marine  animals.    When  masticated,  after  having 
been  dried,  this  species  more  particularly  exhales  a  vio- 
let scent,  in  which,  as  well  as  in  colour,   it  shows  an 
affinity  to  the  Byssus  Jolithus,  of  Linn.     And,  indeed, 
to  our  B.  Purpurea,  v.  3.  t.  192. 

The  Rev.  I.  Lightfoot*  calls  it  the  Fucus  Scoticus, 
and  mentions,  that  the  inhabitants  both  of  Ireland  and 
Scotland  take  pleasure  in  eating  this  plant ;  sometimes 
they  feed  upon  it  like  a  sallad,  when  fresh  taken  out  of  the 
sea ;  but  the  more  usual  method  is,  first  to  dry  it,  then 
roll  it  up  together,  and  chew  it  like  a  plug  of  tobacco. 
And  i hi.-,  they  do  more  for  the  pleasure  arising  from  habit 
than  from  any  supposed  virtues  in  the  plant  itself.  Tlie 
iljiiants  also  of  the  islands  in  the  Archipelago,  as  we 

V 


14 

learn  from  Steller,  are  very  fond  of  this  plant.  They 
sometimes  eat  it  raw,  but  esteem  it  most  when  added  to 
ragouts,  oglios,  and  such  like  dainties,  to  which  it  gives  a 
red  colour*  In  Mr.  Hudson's  Flora  Anglica*  there  is  no 
distinction  made  between  this  and  the  F.  Palmatus ;  but  I 
trust  that  the  description  given  by  Dr.  Smith,  in  the  Eng. 
Bot.  is  fully  sufficient  to  enable  the  most  inattentive  ob- 
server to  draw  the  line  of  distinction  between  them.  In 
1797,  Dr.  Goodenough's  and  Mr.  Woodward's  paper  on 
the  British  Fuci,  was  read  before  the  Linnaean  Society 
of  London,!  in  which  they  describe  seventy-two  species. 
After  giving  the  botanical  character  of  the  Fucus  Pal- 
matus (the  F.  Dulcis  of  Gmelin,  p.  189.  t.  26.)  they 
thus  proceed  :  "  Were  not  this  plant  extremely  common, 
and  not  liable  to  be  confounded  with  any  other,  we  should 
think  it  our  duty  to  draw  up  an  elaborate  account  of  it  in 
all  its  various  forms.  Scarcely  a  plant  in  nature  varies 
more  :  as  the  extremities  of  the  branches  usually  termi- 
nate in  something  of  a  palmate  form,  the  essential  cha- 
racter is  taken  from  that  circumstance.  But  it  must  be 
observed,  that  it  often  is  very  backward  in  appearing 
without  disguise  ;  oftentimes  the  branches  are  length- 
ened out  without  any  division  ;  sometimes  they  are 
merely  dichatomous  ;  sometimes  the  frond  is  proliferous, 
so  as  to  lay  claim  to  a  place  in  our  first  division,  foliis 
distinctis." 

"  The  description  of  the  Flora  Scotica  perfectly  coin- 
cides with  our  own  observations.  At  Weymouth,  and  else- 
where, we  have  found  it  of  a  perfectly  coriaceous  sub- 
stance, as  well  as  the  thinnest  membrane.     We  observed 

*  Vide,  p.  769.         f  Vol.  3.  Trans.  Lino.  Society,  p.  164-5. 


15 

only  in  these  dwarf  coriaceous  specimens,  the  true  fructifi- 
cation, which  is  tubercles  immersed  in  the  frond,  and  pro- 
jecting from  it,  and  opening  at  the  point.  In  one  of  our 
smallest  specimens,  a  largish  tubercle  appears  standing 
on  the  surface  of  the  disk,  and  not  immersed ;  but  these 
tubercles  are  rarely  to  be  observed.  In  general,  the 
plant  shoots  out  to  some  length ;  in  this  state  it  lias  only 
small  seeds  like  granules  (the  character  of  an  ulva)  dis- 
persed over  the  whole  frond,  so  that  one  would  conclude 
it  to  be  an  ulva. 

"  May  it  not  happen  that,  having  fulfilled  the  purpose  of 
its  production,  viz.  the  fructification,  the  growth  of  the 
plant  accommodates  itself  to  its  just  limits  ;  but,  failing  in 
that,  it  runs  out,  wild  and  irregular,  sportive,  and  impatient 
of  all  control  ?" 

We  perceive,  upon  perusing  the  above  remarks,  that  this 
seaweed  has  been,  and  may  now  be,  confounded  with  the 
F.  Palraatus  :  be  this  as  it  may,  they  are  possibly  varie- 
ties only  of  the  same  species,  and  the  difference  between 
them  is  owing  to  some  natural  or  accidental  causes,  which, 
as  yet,  remain  totally  secluded  from  our  view.  But  where 
the  two  individuals  are  found  in  the  same  cluster  of  rocks, 
exhibiting  their  respective  characteristics,  and  especially 
if  they  could  be  obtained  as  they  are  formed  by  nature, 
(not  mutilated  by  marine  animals,)  it  would  require  but 
little  attention  and  botanical  knowledge  to  point  out  the 
difference  between  them. 

An  uninstructed  person,  upon  seeing  paintings  of  (he  two 
plants,  would  naturally  conclude  that  they  were  distinct 
irate  species. 

The  n  puted  efficacy  of  the  Fucus  Edulis,  in  cases  to  be 
mentioned  hereafter,  its  novelty  as  an  article  of  materia 


16 

medica,  and  the  circumstance  of  its  being  a  native  of  the 
sea,  are  the  motives  which  induced  me  to  make  the  follow- 
ing chemical  experiments,  in  order  to  ascertain,  not  only 
the  substances  found  with,  and  in  it,  but  thereby  the  better 
to  enable  one  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  its  modus  operandi. 

EXPERIMENT  I. 

Of  the  F.  Edulis,  dry,  and  cut  into  small  pieces,  I  put 
136  grs.  into  a  florence  flask,  with  8  ounces  of  distilled 
water,  and  subjected  it  to  the  heat  of  a  lamp,  until  it  had 
boiled  five  minutes  :  after  standing  fifteen  hours,  it  was 
filtered.  The  colour  was  of  a  bright  red :  taste  saline, 
with  the  scent  of  the  plant. 

a.  Oxylate  of  Ammonia  in  solution,  when  dropped  into 
a  portion  of  this,  produced  a  turbidness,  and,  after  stand- 
ing some  time,  a  small  precipitate. 

b.  Nitrate  of  mercury  rendered  it  of  a  milk-white 
colour,  and  in  a  little  time  a  copious  flaky  white  precipi- 
tate. 

c.  The  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate  had  no  effect. 

d.  Neutral  acetate  of  lead  precipitated  white  abun- 
dantly, which,  in  a  little  time,  seemed  to  incline  to  red- 
ness. 

e.  Hydrate  of  bary tes  threw  down  a  precipitate  of  a 
yellowish  white  colour. 

/.  Acetate  of  barytes  produced  a  like  precipitate,  yet 
not  so  immediately,  neither  so  copiously. 

After  the  water  had  been  poured  off  the  leaves,  they 
were  found  to  have  parted  with  the  major  parts  of  their 
colouring  matter ;  and  possessed  neither  taste  nor  smell 
in  a  sensible  degree. 


17 


EXPERIMENT  II. 


The  same  quantity  of  the  seaweed  and  pure  cold 
water  were  put  into  a  glass  vessel,  and  allowed  to  stand 
for  nineteen  hours_,  without  the  application  of  heat. 

This  infusion,  when  filtered,  was  not  quite  as  high 
coloured  as  that  of  the  preceding  experiment,  although 
the  smell  and  taste  were  similar  to  it. 

a.  Pure  potassa  did  not  change  either  this  or  the  de- 
coction. 

b.  A  solution  of  the  nitrate  of  silver  produced  an  im- 
mediate precipitate  of  a  white  colour. 

c.  Ammonia  did  not  alter  this,  nor  the  decoction. 

d.  The  solution  of  the  nitrate  of  barytes  cast  down  a 
whitish  matter,  tinged  slightly  with  yellow. 

The  leaves,  in  this  experiment,  lost  their  smell  and 
taste,  as  in  the  first  experiment,  yet  not  so  much  of  their 
colour. 

EXPERIMENT   III. 

A  pretty  strong  infusion  of  the  plant  was  taken,  weigh- 
ing 1,952  grs.  and  was  put  into  a  dry  ilask  of  the  weight 
of  494  grs.  This  was  exposed  to  the  heat  of  a  lamp,  un- 
til it  was  boiled  to  dryness.  There  remained  a  brownish 
mass,  having  the  odour  of  salt,  weighing,  with  the  flask, 
525  grs.  Hence  1,921  grs.  had  been  lost  during  the  pro- 
cess :  2-J-  ounces  of  distilled  water  were  put  into  the  ilask, 
which  completely  took  up  the  aforesaid  materials  ;  the 
solution  assumed  a  good  red  colour,  possessing  the  speci- 
fic gravity  of  1,009.75,  distilled  water  being  1,000. 

a.  Neutral  acetate  of  lend  produced  a  copious 
curdled  pr<  cipitate. 


18 

b.  Nitrate  of  silver  precipitated  of  a  white  colour. 

c.  Muriate  of  barytes  produced  a  reddish  brown  in 
the  solution. 

d.  Oxalate  of  ammonia  destroyed  its  translucency  in 
the  course  of  an  hour. 

EXPERIMENT    IV. 

To  320  grs.  of  the  Fucus  there  were  added  4  ounces 
alcohol  of  .859.  These  were  set  aside  for  two  and  a 
half  days,  without  the  application  of  heat.  When  filtered, 
the  transparency  of  the  alcohol  was  destroyed,  and  it  had 
a  beautiful  light  straw  colour,  with  a  sp.  gr.  of  .872. 

«.  Nitrate  of  silver  gave  a  white  precipitate. 

b.  Muriate  of  barytes  did  not  change  it. 
,c.  Acetate  of  lead,  with  litharge,  threw  down  a  white 
precipitate,  which  was  soluble  in  the  nitric  acid. 

EXPERIMENT    V. 

320  grs.  of  the  dry  vegetable  were  put  into  8  ounces 
of  distilled  water,  and  boiled  for  some  minutes,  and  when 
cold,  were  filtered  ;  colour  deep  red,  with  a  specific  gra- 
vity of  1,019.50.  water  being  1,000. 

It  did  not  change  litmus  paper  when  dipped  into  it. 

EXPERIMENT    VI. 

320  grs.  of  the  plant,  with  8  ounces  of  pure  cold  water, 
were  put  in  a  glass  vessel,  and  permitted  to  rest  for  three 
or  four  hours,  shaking  the  mixture  from  time  to  time ; 
when  filtered,  its  sp.  gr.  was  1,019.50.  as  in  the  5th  ex- 
periment. 


19 

Both  these  experiments  were  repeated  the  following 
day,  and  found  to  be  correct. 

EXPERIMENT    VII. 

8  ounces  of  the  leaves  were  put  into  a  glass  vessel, 
with  four  pints  of  cold  distilled  water,  and  after  standing 
for  fourteen  hours  it  was  filtered  of  a  fine  red  colour. 
It  was  then  put  into  a  retort,  adapted  to  a  receiver,  and  a 
gentle  heat  applied  by  means  of  a  lamp.  After  a  little 
time  the  heat  was  raised,  until  one  pint  and  a  half  was 
distilled  off.  Upon  examining  the  receiver,  it  was  found 
to  contain  a  transparent  fluid,  with  a  peculiar  smell,  not 
unlike  that  of  the  plant.    Its  sp.  gr.  was  only  1,002. 

a.  Superacetate,  with  litharge,  when  dropped  into  a 
little  of  it,  and  after  standing  some  time,  threw  down  a 
white  precipitate. 

6.  Muriate  of  barytes  produced  no  change. 

c.  Nitrate  of  silver,  precipitated  a  white  material,  very 
inconsiderable  in  quantity. 

d.  Muriate  of  mercury  had  no  effect. 

e.  Litmus  paper  was  not  changed  by  it: 

f.  When  dry  starch  was  triturated  in  this  liquor,  it  be- 
came of  a  white  colour  uniformly,  yet,  upon  the  addition 
of  .strong  sulphuric  acid,  heat  was  produced,  but  no  other 
effect. 

What  remained  in  the  retort  was  put  into  an  earthen- 
ware vessel.  It  had  the  colour  of  molasses;  when  half  of 
ill  is  was  evaporated  gently,  the  remainder  had  the  spe- 
cific gravity  of  1,119.  The  heat  was  continued  until 
if  had   obtained   the   consistence  of  an  extract,  wci^h- 


20 

ing  760  grs.    It  had  a  brownish  red  colour,   and  a  taste 
remarkably  saline. 

EXPERIMENT    VIII. 

200  grs.  were  put  into  a  glass  vessel,  and  4  ounces 
alcohol,  of  the  specific  gravity  of  .843,  poured  on,  and 
the  whole  well  corked.  After  four  days,  during  which 
time  it  was  frequently  agitated,  it  was  filtered,  and  had  a 
colour  like  the  tincture  mentioned  in  the  4th  experiment. 
Sp.  gr.  now. 859. 

a.  It  did  not  change  litmus  paper  put  into  it. 

b.  Starch  dissolved  in  it,  rendered  the  whole  of  a  white 
colour  ;  to  this  I  added  some  strong  sulphuric  acid, 
when  heat  was  produced  with  the  disengagement  of  alco- 
holic fumes.  This  mixture,  in  the  space  of  an  hour, 
changed  to  a  black,  which,  near  the  sides  of  the  glass,  de- 
generated into  red.  When  this  was  diluted  with  cold 
water,  the  whole  became  of  its  original  colour.  With 
the  tincture  I  made  the  following  experiments : 

c.  The  solution  of  muriate  of  mercury  had  no  effect. 

d.  Nitrate  of  silver,  and  neutral  acetate  of  lead,  had 
the  same  effects  on  this  tincture  as  on  the  watery  solu- 
tions of  the  plant,  yet  the  precipitates  were  not  so 
abundant. 

e.  The  leaves  from  which  this  tincture  was  made, 
were  afterwards  dried  and  accurately  weighed,  when  it 
was  found  that  they  had  lost  15  grs.  in  the  alcohol. 

/.  I  then  poured  to  them  4  ounce  measures  of 
cold  distilled  water,  and  set  the  vessel  by  for  forty- 
eight  hours  ;  at  the  expiration  of  which,  being  filtered. 


21 

I  dried  the  leaves  a  second  time  in  a  moderate  heat. 
When  weighed,  it  was  discovered  that  the  water  had 
taken  up  100  grs. 

EXPERIMENT  IX. 

1 

I  took  15  ounces  of  the  dry  Fucus  Edulis,  and  exposed 
it  on  a  clean  sheet  of  iron  to  the  heat.of  a  common  forge ; 
when  the  plate  became  hot,  I  put  on  the  plant  in  small 
quantities  at  a  time.  There  immediately  arose  a  thick 
smoke,  which  did  not  affect  the  eyes  like  that  arising  from 
wood,  yet  possessing  a  peculiar  smell,  which  I  can  com- 
pare to  nothing  except  that  of  burned  bread ;  the  heat 
was  continued  until  it  gave  out  no  more  smoke,  when  the 
process  was  stopped,  and  the  carbonaceous  matter  allowed 
to  cool. 

a.  ft  was  then  weighed,  and  the  loss  was  1 1  ounces 
by  the  combustion. 

b.  What  remained  was  put  into  a  glass  vase,  and  three 
pints  of  pure  cold  water  added.  The  next  day  the  whole 
was  thrown  on  a  filter,  and  distilled  water  poured  on 
until  it  came  off  tasteless  ;  five  and  a  half  pints  of  water 
were  required  in  the  whole  proceeding.  This  lixivium 
had  a  tinge  of  pink,  a  salt  taste,  and  a  sp.  gr.  of  1,015. 

c.  The  carbonaceous  matter  that  remained  on  the  filter 
was  dried,  and  the  loss  of  weight  was  .785  grs. 

d.  The  Lixivium  was  evaporated  in  an  earthen  vessel 
ly;  but  before  it  was  totally  evaporated,  I  put  litmus 

paper  in,  it  immediately  became  green.  When  it  was 
■orated  to  dryness,  the  saline  materials  weighed  1,150 
grs.  They  were  now  put  into  a  glass  liottlc,  and  covered, 
fo  tli f,-  depth  of  an  inch,  with  alcohol  of  sp.  gr.  of  .038. 
After  BtandiDg  Several   hours,  during   which  it  was  occa- 


22 

sionally  shaken,  the  whole  was  put  on  a  filter,  and  this 
washed  with  a  little  more  alcohol. 

This  alcoholic  solution  did  not  change  litmus  when 
put  into  it.  It  was  then  evaporated  to  dryness,  by  the 
heat  of  a  stove,  and  the  saline  matter  weighed  22  grs. 
On  these  I  put  an  equal  weight  of  strong  sulphuric  acid, 
which  evolved  considerable  heat,  with  copious  white 
suffocating  fumes,  which  had  the  odour  of  muriatic  acid 
gas.  Heat  was  applied  to  drive  off  the  excess  of  acid, 
and  continued  to  dryness.  To  this  mass  twice  its 
weight  of  pure  cold  water  was  added,  and,  after  mixing 
thoroughly,  it  was  filtered. 

An  insoluble  residue  remained  on  the  filter  of  sulphate 
of  lime.  Carbonate  of  potassa  was  added  to  the  fil- 
tered solution,  and  there  fell  down  an  abundant  precipitate 
of  a  reddish  brown  colour,  soluble  with  effervescence  in 
the  muriatic  acid. 

The  solution  of  Prussiate  of  lime  and  iron,  when  added 
to  this  precipitate  in  solution,  changed  the  liquor  to  a 
fine  green  immediately,  and,  at  the  expiration  of  some 
hours,  it  let  fall  a  beautiful  blue  precipitate. 

e.  The  salts  that  remained  on  the  filter,  and  insoluble  in 
alcohol,  were  dried,  and  they  weighed  1,013  grs..  To 
these  about  eight  times  their  weight  of  water  was  added, 
which  dissolved  the  whole,  This  was  filtered,  and  put 
into  a  vessel  to  evaporate  ;  while  the  evaporation  was 
going  on,  and  when  very  concentrated,  I  found  that  it 
would  turn  litmus  paper  green. 

/.  Before  the  solution  had  evaporated,  and  while  it  was 
yet  quite  hot,  it  let  fall  a  great  number  of  crystals  of  a 
cubic  form,  which,  when  the  sulphuric  acid  was  poured 
on  them,  gave  out  the  white  disagreeable  fumes  of  the 


23 

muriatic  acid  gas.  These  crystals  remained  permanent  in 
the  open  air.  They  had  the  taste  of  common  salt,  yet 
rather  more  acrid,  and  were  not  changed  when  the  nitric, 
acetic,  and  muriatic  acids  were  poured  on  them.  These 
saline  particles  weighed  150  grs. 

The  solution,  in  which  the  above  salts  were  dissolved, 
was  taken  off  the  sand  bath  at  this  time,  and  allowed  to 
evaporate  spontaneously,  which  was  completed  in  one 
week  ;  yet  I  should  observe,  that  some  of  the  lixivium  was 
taken,  and  these  tests  added. 

g.  Hydrate  of  barytes  precipitated  copiously  a  yellow- 
ish white. 

h.  Hydrate  of  lime  threw  down  a  white  precipitate. 
These  precipitates  were  both  soluble,  with  effervescence, 
in  the  sulphuric  and  muriatic  acids. 

The  salts  spoken  of  above,  by  spontaneous  evaporation, 
weighed  550  grs.,  and  were  deliquescent.  I  poured  5 
ounces  alcohol,  of  .838,  on  them,  and,  after  standing  some 
time,  filtered,  washing  the  filter  with  alcohol.  With  this 
alcoholic  solution  I  made  these  trials  ;  viz. 

a  1.  They  slightly  greened  the  litmus  exposed  to  their 
action. 

b  2.  A  stream  of  carbonic  acid  gas  did  not  produce  a 
change  when  passed  through  the  solution.  • 

c  2.  It  was  not  altered  when  ammonia  in  solution  was 
added. 

dl.  Oxalate  of  ammonia  turned  it  of  a  milk-white  co- 

I'Hir,  and,  after  a  little  time,  an  abundant  whitish  precipi- 

-<  parated,  insoluble  in  the  nitric  and  muriatic 

c2.  Strong  sulphuric  acid  precipitated  considerable  of 
*  yellowish  white,  with  the  disengagement  of  alcoholic 


24 

fumes ;  this  precipitate  was  soluble  in  pure  water,  but  not 
in  muriatic  acid. 

/  2.  Nitrate  of  silver  threw  down  a  copious  curdy  pre- 
cipitate, insoluble  in  strong  sulphuric  acid. 

g2.  A  solution  of  carbonate  of  potassa  produced  no 
effect. 

h  2.  Muriated  barytes  produced  a  cloud  in  the  solution. 
The  precipitate,  occasioned  by  the  oxalate  of  ammo- 
nia,^ 2.)  was  exposed  to  a  heat  sufficient  to  drive  off  the 
acid  in  combination  ;  it  was  redissolved  in  muriatic  acid  ; 
heat  then  applied  until  dry;  this,  when  dissolved  in  wa- 
ter, gave  no  precipitate  with  the  oxalate  of  ammonia. 

i  2.  The  remainder  of  the  alcoholic  solution  was  eva- 
porated, and  distilled  water  added  when  heated,  and  a 
solution  of  carbonate  of  potassa  put  into  it ;  the  vapours 
of  ammoniacal  gas  were  distinguishable  plainly. 

k  2.  Oxalate  of  ammonia  produced  no  effect  on  it. 
When  pure  potassa,  in  solution,  Was  held  over  the  vessel 
containing  this  salt,  then  arose  the  white  fumes  of  muriate 
of  ammonia. 

A  portion  of  the  deliquescent  salts,  spoken  of  in  p.  23, 
before  the  alcohol  was  added  to  them,  was  put  into  a  glass 
vessel,  and  sulphuric  acid  added,  which  decomposed  it, 
and  caused  the  muriatic  fumes  to  appear ;  heat  was  ap- 
plied to  expel  the  excess  of  acid ;  when  dry,  the  mass 
was  very  sparingly  soluble  in  water,  from  which  I  con- 
clude that  it  was  the  sulphate  of  potassa. 

What  remained  on  the  filter,  after  alcohol  had  taken 
up  what  it  would,  was  found  to  be  the  muriate  of  soda 
principally,  mixed,  perhaps,  with  a  little  of  the  muriate 
of  potassa. 


'25 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  EXPERIMENTS, 

IN  THE  FIRST  EXPERIMENT. 

a.  Detects  a  small  portion  of  lime  in  the  decoction. 

b.  Proves  the  presence  of  a  muriatic  salt. 

d.  Shows  the  presence  of  mucilage. 

e.  and  /.    Ascertain  that    it  contained  the  sulphuric 
acid,  yet  not  free. 

IN  THE  SECOND  EXPERIMENT. 

a.  Would  have  detected  a  free  acid  had  there  been  any. 

b.  Precipitated  a  muriatic  salt,  beyond  a  doubt. 

IN  THE  THIRD  EXPERIMENT. 

The  object,  in  the  first  place,  was  to  discover  how  much 
of  the  solution  could  be  driven  off  by  a  heat  of  212°  Fa- 
renheit.  The  tests  afterwards  applied,  showed  the  fixed 
substances  in  the  solution. 

IN  THE  FOURTH  EXPERIMENT. 

a.  Denoted  that  some  muriatic  salt  had  been  taken  up 
by  the  alcohol. 

b.  Would  have  indicated  the  presence  of  the  sulphates. 
C.  Seemed  to  have  argued  the  presence  of  mucilage. 


26 


IN  THE  FIFTH  AND  SIXTH  EXPERIMENTS. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  cold  infusion,  and  of  the 
decoction,  being  equal,  would  induce  us  to  believe  that 
cold  water  would  take  up  as  much  of  the  plant  soluble  in 
water  as  hot.  From  the  rule  laid  down  by  Mr.  Kirman, 
we  would  expect  to  find  in  every  1000  grs,  of  these  two 
solution  27.00  grs.  of  saline  materials. 

Yet  the  mucilage  in  this  liquor,   independent  of  the 

salts  contained  in  it,    would  deceive  us  in  the   above 

opinion,  as  it  is  well  known  that  viscid  liquors  have  a 

greater  specific  gravity.* 

a.  Would  lead  us  to  believe  that  a  free  alkali  was  present. 

V 

IN   THE  SEVENTH  EXPERIMENT. 

We  have  the  nature  of  the  materials  which  came  over 
into  the  receiver  upon  moderate  distillation. 

b.  Did  not  detect  the  presence  of  sulphuric  acid, 

c.  Rendered  it  probable  that  muriatic  acid  had 
come  over. 

d.  Proved,  beyond  a  doubt,  that  neither  an  alkali  nor 
acid  had  come  over  free. 

/.  Satisfactorily  proves  that  it  did  not  contain  the  pe- 
culiar substance  called  iodine,  discovered  by  Prof. 
Davy.  And  in  this  place  permit  me  to  state  my  unbelief 
as  to  its  presence  in  this  Fucus  ;  at  least,  I  could  not  dis- 
cover it  in  the  various  trials  made  (which  are  not  related 
in  the  experiments)  for  that  purpose, 

*  This  would  be  true  where  the  specific  gravity  was  taken  by  im- 
mersing a  ball  in  the  fluid  ;  yet  in  this  case  it  was  done  by  weight. 


n 

In  a  Memoir  on  the  combinations  of  iodine  with  differ- 
ent vegetable  and  animal  substances,  by  Messrs.  Colin 
and  Claubry,  published  in  Paris,  1814,  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing assertion  :*  "  Quand  on  met  en  contact,  a  froid, 
l'iode  et  l'amidon,  sees,  en  triturant  le  melange,  l'ami- 
don  prend  d'abord  une  teinte  violatre  qui  passe  au  bleu 
ou  au  noir,  selon  la  quantite  d'amidon  et  d'iode  em- 
ployee ;  la  couleur  estrougeatre  si  l'amidon  domine,  d'un 
bleu  superbe  si  ces  substances  sont  en  proportions  con- 
venables,  et  noire  au  contraire  quand  l'iode  est  en  exces; 
en  sorte  que  l'on  pourra  obtenir  des  violets  de  nuances 
tres-differentes  selon  qu'il  y  entrera  plus  ou  moins  de  la 
couleur  bleue  ou  de  la  couleur  rougeatre."  Again,  we 
find  in  an  inaugural  dissertation,  entitled  Researches  on 
the  Existence  of  Iodine  in  Sea  Water  and  the  Varecks, 
by  Mons.  Claubry,  published  in  1815,t  he  says,  '«  Quand 
on  verse  cet  acide  (the  sulphuric)  sur  la  liqueur  ou  l'on 
a  mis  de  l'amidon,  il  se  produit  une  belle  couleur  bleue." 
And,  in  page  14,  he  remarks  the  same  thing  of  the  tinc- 
ture of  the  Fucus  Saccharinus.  I  took  some  of  the  tinc- 
ture spoken  of  in  Experiment  8,  and  put  into  it  some  dry 
starch  ;  after  triturating  the  mixture  well  with  a  glass  rod, 
I  added  some  sulphuric  acid,  which  disengaged  alco- 
holic fumes  with  heat,  and  the  liquor  in  a  little  time 
turned  of  a  reddish  tinge,  as  mentioned  in  the  first  quota- 
tion, if  the  starch  be  in  minor  proportion.  Thinking  I  had 
not  used  the  starch  in  sufficient  quantity,  I  added  more, 
and  pretty  soon  there  was  evolved  a  good  black  colour. 
I  have  since  repeated  this  experiment,  not  only  with  the 
tincture,  but  also  the  watery  solutions,  several  times,  yet 

*  Page  8.  f   Vogc  1 1 . 


28 

could  never  obtain  a  good  blue,  or  even  any  blue,  but 
constantly  a  red,  and  from  this  to  black,  exactly  resem- 
bling the  mixture  of  a  solution  of  starch  and  sulphuric 
acid. 

g.  This  liquor,  whose  specific  gravity  was  1.119,  ought 
to  contain  166.6  grs.  of  Saline  particles  in  every  1000, 
or  16.66  in  every  100  grs.  The  extract  weighed  760 
grs. ;  but  it  is  necessary  to  observe,  that  two  thirds  only 
of  the  solution  were  used  for  this  process  ;  hence  it  is 
probable,  that  if  the  remaining  one  third  had  been  eva- 
porated, the  total  amount  of  extract  obtainable  from  8 
ounces  of  the  dry  F.  Edulis,  would  be  about  1000  grs. 

IN  THE  EIGHTH  EXPERIMENT. 

Here  we  have  the  alcohol  stronger  than  in  the  first 
tincture. 

a.  By  this  it  appears  that  no  free  acids  and  alkalies  were 
taken  up. 

b.  Proves  the  absence  of  Iodine  in  this  tincture. 

d.  Indicates  that  it  contained  muriates,  but  not  so 
much  in  quantity  as  water  will  take  up. 

c.  Shows  the  amount  of  materials  taken  up  by  this 
menstruum. 

/.  Gives  the  greater  power  water  possesses  over  alco- 
hol in  acting  on  this  plant ;  water  taking  up  nearly,  or 
quite,  one  half,  while  alcohol  will  scarcely  dissolve  one 
thirteenth  ;  yet,  if  one  should  use  heat  in  making  the 
tincture,  I  am  well  persuaded  that  these  proportions  would 
be  lessened  very  much. 


29 


IN  THE  NINTH  EXPERIMENT. 


a.  Gives  the  quantity  of  fugacious  matter  contained 
in  nearly  one  pound  avoirdupois  of  the  Fucus  Edulis. 

b.  Shows  the  quantity  of  water  employed  in  dissolving 
the  contained  salts,  in  4  ounces  of  the  residue  of  combus- 
tion. 

c.  Demonstrates  that  this  lixivium  contained  an  alkali; 
yet,  whether  this  was  the  effect  of  combustion,  or  con- 
tained in  the  plant  before  this  process,  remains  still  to  be 
determined.  For  my  own  part,  I  would  attribute  its  pre- 
sence to  the  former  cause  ;  for  this  reason,  that  it  could 
not  be  found  either  in  the  decoctions,  cold  infusions,  or 
tinctures,  as  one  can  easily  satisfy  himself  of  by  referring 
to  the  5th,  6th,  7th,  and  8th  experiments.  We  observe, 
also,  that  the  carbonaceous  matter  lost  785  grs.  in  filter- 
ing the  lixivium  5  now,  one  would  certainly  expect  to  find 
a  saline  mass,  when  this  was  evaporated  to  dryness,  equal, 
but  not  greater  than  this  weight,  yet  the  salts  did  amount 
to  1,150  grs.  Where  did  the  addition  of  365  grs.  come 
from  ?  It  will  be  recollected,  that  the  residue  of  combus- 
tion was  exposed  to  a  red  heat,  which  must  have  driven 
off  the  water  crystallization  ;  add  to  this  that  the  heat  ap- 
plied in  evaporating  the  lixivium  was  very  moderate,  so 
lhat  not  only  the  water  of  crystallization  was  retained  in 
these  last  crystals,  but  also  a  portion  of  moisture. 

d.  This  circumstance  would  induce  us  to  believe,  at 
first,  that  137  grs.  of  saline  particles  were  taken  up  by 
the  alcohol;  yet  this  is  not  correct,  as  we  shall  be  con- 
vinced of,  when  looking  into  Mr.  Kirwan's  essay  on  mine- 
ral    wat<  ft,  [>.  164,  5.     ;-  The  usual  practice  is  to  weigh 


30 

the  saline  mass  left  after  evaporation,  before  and  after 
treating  it  with  spirit  of  wine,  in  order  to  judge,  by  the 
loss  of  weight,  how  much  had  been  taken  up  by  the  spirit, 
see  Bergm.  p.  181,  5  Fourcroy,  p.  127,  and  1  Westrumb, 
heft,  p.  119  and  120.  Now,  it  is  easily  seen,  that  the 
difference  of  weight  can  decide  nothing  in  this  case,  unless 
the  degree  of  dessication  before  and  after  the  treatment 
with  spirit  of  wine  be  exactly  the  same,  which  can  never 
be  expected  to  happen,  not  only  because  the  same  degree 
of  heat  cannot  be  exactly  attained,  nor  the  saline  mass 
exposed  under  exactly  the  same  surface,  but,  also,  because 
the  salts  that  remain  after  the  action  of  the  spirit  of  wine, 
retain  water  much  less  powerfully  than  those  which  the 
saline  mass  contained  before  it  was  exposed  to  that  men- 
struum. Nor  can  this  inconvenience  be  remedied  by 
weighing  the  contents  of  the  spirituous  menstruum  after  its 
evaporation,  for  these  will  be  often  found  to  weigh  more 
than  the  spirit  had  really  taken  up,  because  it  deposites 
its  contents  in  a  crystallized  state,  which,  nevertheless, 
it  had  taken  up,  deprived  of  their  water  of  crystallization ; 
and  this  is  particularly  observable  where  muriated  mag- 
nesia is  concerned,  as  Fourcroy  has  well  remarked, 
"  Analyse  d'Eughhiem,"  p.  284. 

e.  This  did  not  take  up  a  free  alkali,  and  neither  did 
the  salts,  upon  evaporation,  weigh  137  grs.,  but  only  22. 
This  proves  the  correctness  of  Mr.  Kirman's  observations. 
By  the  application  of  sulphuric  acid  to  these  dry  salts, 
the  muriates  were  decomposed,  and  their  acid  driven  off. 
By  adding,  afterwards,  double  their  weight  of  pure  water, 
the  sulphate  of  magnesia  in  small  quantity  was  taken  up. 
This  proves  that  the  alcohol  has  taken  up  the  muriate  of 
magnesia. 


31 

The  insoluble  sulphate  of  lime  indicated  that  the 
muriate  of  lime  was  also  in  the  alcoholic  solution. 

By  adding  the  carbonate  of  polassa  to  the  filtered  solu- 
tion, the  sulphuric  salt  was  decomposed,  and  the  test  then 
applied  to  this  ascertained  it  to  be  iron. 

f.  These  crystals  were  undoubtedly  the  muriate  of 
soda,  from  their  shape,  taste,  and  the  circumstance  of 
their  forming  when  the  solution  was  quite  hot. 

As  a  farther  proof  of  their  being  the  muriate  of  soda, 
we  have  to  attend  to  the  effect  of  acids,  and  to  test  it. 

g.  and  h.  Would  go  to  prove  that  this  liquor  contained 
a  carbonate  of  soda  in  all  probability,  as  this  plant  is 
used  among  the  other  seaweeds  to  make  Barilla. 

f  2.  Proved  that  the  muriate  of  something  was  the  chief 
salt  in  this  liquor. 

g  2.  Showed  that  it  was  not  the  muriate  of  soda. 

k  2.  12.  Demonstrated  that  it  was  the  muriate  of  am- 
monia beyond  a  question,  yet,  had  the  heat  been  con- 
tinued longer,  and  raised  higher  in  the  combustion  in  the 
first  place,  we  should  not  have  found  this  salt  at  this 
period,  but  it  would  have  been  driven  off  as  in  the  analy- 
ses of  the  F.  Saccharinus,  made  by  Mons.  Claubry. 

From  these  experiments,  I  conclude,  the  salts  con- 
tained in  the  plant,  or  rather  in  the  solution,  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Muriate  of  soda. 

Sulphate  of  soda  ;  yet  this  last,  if  it  did  exist,  was  in  too 
ornall  a  proportion  to  be  separated  by  itself. 

Muriate  ammonia. 

magnesia  in  small  quantity. 

lime. 

potassa. 


32 

Carbonate  of  soda; 

iron, 

which,  in  all  probability,  gives  colour  to  the  plant.  Be- 
side these,  it  had  mucilage,  and  a  peculiar  vegetable  prin- 
ciple. The  proportion  of  these  salts  in  this  vegetable  are 
not  set  down ;  but  at  a  rough  calculation,  we  may  say,  that 
the  muriate  of  soda  amounted  to  about  one  half  of  the 
whole,  and  of  the  carbonate  of  iron,  and  sulphate  of 
soda,  the  proportions  became  very  minute  indeed.  The 
other  salts  bore  a  pretty  regular  ratio,  with  respect  to 
each  other. 

Medicinal  Properties  of  the  F.  Edulis. 

We  have  no  author,  as  far  as  I  can  discover,  either 
ancient  or  modern,  who  has  recommended  this  seaweed 
in  any  disease  ;  nor  can  I  find  it  enumerated  in  any  work, 
as  an  article  of  the  materia  medica.  Yet,  strange  as  it 
may  appear,  this  marine  plant,  in  some  of  our  Eastern 
States,  is  esteemed  as  one  of  the  best  vermifuges  among 
them.  It  is  also  as  much  in  vogue  in  Annapolis  Royal 
(N.  S.)  as  the  pinkroot  is  in  this  city,  as  a  remedy  for 
worms.  "  It  is  sold  in  the  streets  of  Dublin,  being  dried ; 
and  is  said  to  sweeten  the  breath,  and  to  kill  worms."* 

The  following  copy  of  a  letter  I  received  from  a  mer- 
chant in  this  city,  who  is  a  native  of  Annapolis. 

New-York,  £prU*9i%  1816. 

DEAR  SIR, 

At  your  request,  I  will  endeavour  to  sketch  an  outline 
of  the  nature  and  virtues  of  the  Dulse,  as  it  is  called.  In 
my  youth,  I  was  a  resident  of  Annapolis  Royal,  and  was 

*  Vide  Miller's  Gardener's  Dictionary,  vol.  2. 


33 

subject,  as  were  the  rest  of  my  companions,  to  those  disa- 
greeable animals,  worms  ;  but  although  we  had  them  fre- 
quently, it  was  in  our  power  to  subdue  them  at  pleasure. 
By  what  means  it  was  known  among  us,  that  the  Dulse  was 
a  certain  remedy  for  them,  I  shall  not  undertake  to  deter- 
mine ;  neither  do  I  recollect  who  was  the  discoverer  of 
the  place  in  which  we  found  the  plant;  (for  I  knew  of  but 
one  ;)  however,  this  fact  I  am  very  sure  of,  that  when  any 
of  my  schoolmates  were  under  the  influence  of  worms,  they 
would  go  to  the  Dulse  pond,  as  regularly  as  those  of 
maturer  years  would  consult  a  physician  for  any  painful 
disease.  The  time  we  chose,  was  as  near  low  water  as 
possible,  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  getting  at  the  weed 
at  any  other  time.  We  found  it  attached  to  the  rocks, 
growing,  generally,  to  the  height  of  a  foot  or  more,  and  in 
appearance,  as  to  shape  and  colour,  resembled  very  much 
the  figure  in  Smith's  English  Botany.  We  not  only  con- 
sumed this  vegetable  on  account  of  disease,  but  when 
there  was  no  school  for  a  day,  and  we  wished  to  spend 
our  time  to  the  best  advantage,  we  would  take  our  recrea- 
tion in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  above  pond,  and  when 
hungry,  instead  of  going  to  our  respective  houses  for  food, 
we  would  fall  to  and  make  a  dinner  of  Dulse  in  its  raw 
state,  as  if  we  were  eating  the  best  of  dainties.  Had  this 
remedy  been  but  used  once,  and  its  effects  witnessed  as 
often,  1  would  be  guarded  as  to  my  opinion  concerning  its 
icy,  yet  the  numberless  instances  in  which  its  specific 
power  has  been  witnessed  by  myself  and  others,  lays  me 
under  many  obligations  to  this  simple  vegetable,  which  I 
cannot  repay  more  conscientiously  than  by  recommend- 
-  UK  to  those  who,  while  they  gratified  a  l&udabk 


34 

curiosity,  would  at  the  same  time  give  ease  and  health  to 
those  afflicted  with  a  disease,  which  frequently  terminates 
existence. 

I  am,  sir,  yours,  &c. 

The  efficacy  of  the  Fucus,  as  a  vermifuge,  may  be  seen 
in  the  following  cases,  which  were  obligingly  furnished  by 
a  professional  friend. 

Miss  C -,  aged  12  years,  of  a  delicate  habit,  having 

been  affected  with  symptoms  indicative  of  worms,  such 
as  constant  fever,  restless  nights,  offensive  breath,  and 
violent  pain  in  the  bowels,  two  days  after  taking  cas- 
tor oil,  she  took  at  three  draughts,  in  the  course  of  the 
4ay,  a  pint  of  the  infusion  of  the  Fucus  Edulis,  made  with 
an  ounce  of  the  leaves.  On  the  following  morning,  after 
a  small  dose  of  oil,  she  passed  an  ascaris  lumbricoides 
about  four  inches  in  length ;  and  the  symptoms  before 
complained  of  disappeared. 

In  another  instance,  a  gentleman,  after  eating  a  quan- 
tity of  it,  got  rid  of  five  worms. 

In  a  third  case,  after  eating  it,  a  lady  voided  one. 

And,  lastly,  a  girl,  by  taking  some  of  it,  passed  five. 

1  have  used  this  Marine  Plant  in  cases  of  worms.  The 
first  was  a  female  of  about  forty-five  years  of  age,  who 
informed  me  that  she  was  frequently  affected  with 
worms,  and  that  the  use  of  gentle  remedies  gene- 
rally relieved  her :  I  gave  her  one  ounce  of  the  dried 
plant,  with  directions  to  make  a  tea  with  about  a  pint 
of  water,  which  she  might  drink  at  pleasure.  The 
medicine,  in  this  case,  was  attended  with  good  effects, 
(bringing  away  numberless  worms,  which,  by  her  de- 
scription, I  concluded   to  belong  to   the  class  Taenia,) 


35 

although  she  took  but  one  half  of  the  dose.  The  re- 
mainder was  administered  to  a  coloured  child  in  the 
kitchen,  who  had  been  complaining  of  symptoms  for  some 
time  past,  indicating  worms.  The  little  sufferer  was 
restored  to  health  by  evacuating  a  worm  as  large  as  one's 
little  finger. 

These  two  cases  arethe  only  instances  in  which  I  have 
given  the  Fucus  Edulis,  except  in  the  case  of  a  young 
Miss  of  10  years,  who  had  been  ill  for  some  months,  and 
was  supposed  by  her  mother  to  be  troubled  with  worms  ; 
she  had  been  taking  medicines  from  the  family  physician 
with  this  idea,  to  no  purpose.  I  gave  her  two  doses  of 
the  Dulse,  which  did  not  give  much,  if  any,  relief;  the 
mother  then  coincided  with  me  that  we  had  all  mistaken 
the  disease,  which  proved  true,  for  the  patient  recovered 
gradually,  when  taken  into  the  country,  without  passing 
a  worm. 

Do  the  vermifuge  properties  of  this  plant  reside  in 
any  peculiar  principle,  or  upon  the  salts  which  it  con- 
tains ?  The  vulgar  adopt  the  former  opinion,  and  ac- 
count for  its  action  by  supposing  that  the  worms 
eat  the  Dulse,  and  are  killed  by  some  deleterious  prin- 
ciple entering  into  its  composition.  I  think  that  there 
is  no  necessity  for  the  above  supposition,  and  that 
the  knowledge  of  the  individual  salts,  found  upon  analysis, 
would  induce  a  reasonable  mind  to  impute  its  efficacy 
to  these  and  the  mucilage  with  which  it  so  plentifully 
abounds. 

In  the  employment  of  this  Fucus  as  an  anthelmintic,  I 
would  advise  the  practice  of  making  a  tea,  by  taking  one 
ounce  of  the  plant,  and  infusing  it  in  a  pint  of  water 
and  this  may  be  consumed  in  the  course  of  a 


36 

There  are  two  things  in  this  plant  which  we  do  not  find 
in  other  vegetables  possessing  vermifuge  properties,  and 
which  would  go  no  small  way  in  its  use  among  children, 
viz.  The  asreeableness  of  the  taste  of  the  tea,  and  its  co- 
lour,  which  resembles  red  wine. 

In  those  States  where  the  Fucus  Edulis  can  be  pro- 
cured fresh  from  its  attachments  to  the  rocks,  the  ne- 
cessity of  making  a  tea  could  be  dispensed  with,  and 
the  plant  might  be  used  as  in  Nova  Scotia ;  i.  e. 
oaten  raw. 


F  I  N  I  S. 


<3<tf 

2»rf 


CD               c 

ARIES 

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